Japanese Sci-Fi Dramas, or Lack Thereof

[chesed]

I always wondered why there haven't been any science fiction shows. I haven't read about or heard any mention of them. Do they have them and it's just not considered a drama? If so, then my apologies for posting this in the drama section. =P

I like sci-fi like Stargate and Battlestar and imo they're pretty much dramas in a futuristic setting.

Anyway, I was wondering if anybody knew if there are or are not any sci-fi shows in Japan. If there is, why are they not popular? If there are not, why is that so? With more current dramas utilizing special effects and higher quality editing, are they not capable of producing sci-fi shows?

I realize that America is basically entertainment central, but there are so many other countries that produce movies... maybe not special-effects heavy blockbusters, but great entertainment nonetheless. Special effect-wise, we know it's possible -- look at that sci-fi parody produced in Europe (I think?) that was completely fan-made.

Is the market not big enough or something? Even shows like Smallville, that mixes sci-fi with a teen drama. Is that not possible?

Another thing to consider is the way dramas in Japan are made. Single series with rarely any second or third seasons, and not much (if any) reruns. Is this a factor?

Anyway, it's just something I've been wondering.
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I know you think you thought you knew what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you understood what you thought I meant.

[tabana]

One reason I can think of is money.

Building the sets cost a lot of money and wouldn't be profitable for only 12 episodes. On the other hand, if you have 26 episodes for a single season with the possiblity of a few seasons, the cost is acceptable.
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[yt]

Long Love Letter is one science fiction drama I can think of...

[krim]

given the rampant type-casting, no one wants to be stuck in a genre that's so rare.

oh, and it'd be very expensive... you notice that you dont see too many doramas with elaborate sets, they're usually on location somewhere... at least the ones i've seen. labor is expensive too, that's why Stargate and such shows are filmed in BC instead of lets say in Hollywood.

[��]

Speaking of expensive productions, I imagine Umizaru was really expensive with all that shipboard and underwater time. It would be interesting to see some data on how much dramas cost to produce, but I don't know where to find it. I would bet that Umizaru was near the top, though.

On the other hand, Sh15uya was "science-fiction" and it probably didn't cost anything to produce (It was kind of fun though).

[shin2]

The book The Dorama Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese TV Drama Since 1953, written by Jonathan Clements ande Motoko Tamamuro, lists many many sci-fi themed TV series. Most however, seem to be more children-oriented, including Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and other titles such as Ultraman, Kamen Rider, and Kikaida, which may be familiar to English-speaking audiences. I have a feeling that TV anime series offer a wider variety of sci-fi themed shows that would appeal to older audiences.

[chesed]

tabana wrote:

One reason I can think of is money. Building the sets cost a lot of money and wouldn't be profitable for only 12 episodes. On the other hand, if you have 26 episodes for a single season with the possiblity of a few seasons, the cost is acceptable.

Yeah that's what I assumed would be the biggest reason: budget constraints. I'm curious to understand why the U.S. and Canada can afford to make such entertainment where Japan cannot. I have no clue as to the world financial market and currency worth, etc.. I'm quite ignorant in the subject, but it'd be interesting to know.

I would think, however, that 26 episodes would cost way more than 12, especially when paying the actors. I can understand, however, why buiding elaborate and costly sets would be considered a waste of money when used only for eleven 45 minute episodes. I know the dynamics of television are very different in Japan... I wonder if that would ever change.

yt wrote:

Long Love Letter is one science fiction drama I can think of...

Hmm.. that looks very interesting. I haven't seen it yet and it has a lot of well-known people. The reviews don't look promising, but I don't really listen to them since I have very lenient tastes... I like most of the stuff I watch. =) I'll give it a try after I finish Slow Dance. Thanks for the recommendation.

krim wrote:

given the rampant type-casting, no one wants to be stuck in a genre that's so rare.

That's an interesting point. It's true that most actors and actresses that are involved in sci-fi shows tend to remain in such shows. I mean, there are still many others that do a good mix of sci-fi and other genres, but it's not unheard of to see a show and point out that he or she has been on Stargate or other such shows. I can see how that could happen in Japan as well.

krim wrote:

oh, and it'd be very expensive... you notice that you dont see too many doramas with elaborate sets, they're usually on location somewhere... at least the ones i've seen. labor is expensive too, that's why Stargate and such shows are filmed in BC instead of lets say in Hollywood.

Well, given the above mentioned Long Love Letter, sets don't necessarily have to be made. Eureka, for example, is a good example of a show that could be shot in a real location, use heavy effects, and still be... um... sci-fi-tastic. Same with Smallville (although both shows do use sets).


Oh, and thanks for humoring my curiosity. =)
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I know you think you thought you knew what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you understood what you thought I meant.

[krim]

chesed wrote:

... That's an interesting point. It's true that most actors and actresses that are involved in sci-fi shows tend to remain in such shows. I mean, there are still many others that do a good mix of sci-fi and other genres, but it's not unheard of to see a show and point out that he or she has been on Stargate or other such shows. I can see how that could happen in Japan as well. ,,,

let me clarify, i mean most japanese doramas in general, not american tv shows. you'll notice that many actor/ess play similar roles over and over in different doramas.

[leesun]

chesed wrote:

I always wondered why there haven't been any science fiction shows. I haven't read about or heard any mention of them. Do they have them and it's just not considered a drama? If so, then my apologies for posting this in the drama section. =P I like sci-fi like Stargate and Battlestar and imo they're pretty much dramas in a futuristic setting. Anyway, I was wondering if anybody knew if there are or are not any sci-fi shows in Japan. If there is, why are they not popular? If there are not, why is that so? With more current dramas utilizing special effects and higher quality editing, are they not capable of producing sci-fi shows?

Yasha is a good one. You might want to check it out.

G

[gaijin mark]

Just a guess here, but a lot of anime are science fiction, maybe they get their fill of science fiction in anime and as a result nobody does and science fiction dramas.

[tabana]

leesun wrote:

Yasha is a good one. You might want to check it out. G

Oh, yeah. Not sci-fi like battlestar, but a great drama indeed.
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[tabana]

gaijin mark wrote:

Just a guess here, but a lot of anime are science fiction, maybe they get their fill of science fiction in anime and as a result nobody does and science fiction dramas.

Maybe, we'll see a few of them. It seems all the new dramas are based on manga.
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[Riee109]

can you call Sh15uya (Shibuya15) Sci-Fi?
Well, at least it has some elements in it (Ema).
At first this drama was a bit strange to me but now i really enjoy watching it.

[Geezer]

The U.S. networks usually give two reasons for not putting on much sci-fi.

1) Too darned expensive, considering the sets, costumes, make-up, and cgi.

2) Too small a fan base. Sci Fi fans are insanly loyal. But there aren't enough of them to make a network show work.

I expect the Japanese run into the same problems.

A good sci fi show would be expensive to produce.

And then they run into the fact that the largest part of the Dorama audience in Japan is Women. And women make up a very small percentage of the sci fi fan base.
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Manga is to Literature
what Graffiti is to Art

[Tu_triky]

Geezer wrote:

And then they run into the fact that the largest part of the Dorama audience in Japan is Women.

I agree. A demographical analysis of Japanese doramas explains a lot of the content that has been released, for better or worse. Notwithstanding that fact, many new doramas (2006 vintage) appear to be doing poorly in the ratings......perhaps an indication that even the abundance of young male celebrities in recent doramas is not enough to sway or influence the target audience for this segment of Japanese television programming.